Thanks to YouTube, these days all you need is a video camera and a computer to make yourself a star.
But it takes time, a keen sense of humor, and – according to one – a little bit of "Jewish geography" to get to nearly 600,000 views and counting.
On August 13, "Nassau (County) State of Mind," a parody about life on the North and South Shores of Long Island, hit the internet and within hours had over a thousand views. The video, which was put together by four college students in less than a week and a half, was despised by some, loved by many and challenged by others.
Max Kimbarow, a senior business major from Syosset, Long Island, found the material extremely funny, mostly because it was both creative and true.
"I think the video was good because it jokingly captures what Long Island is really like," Kimbarow said. "The creators were able to recognize their lifestyle and poke fun at it in a clever way."
The parody was written by Tyler Gildin and Evan Krumholz, the music was put together by Nash Prince, and the piece was filmed and edited by Cody Milch. Through a string of friendships and a common desire to make it big, the four collaborated this summer and put together a video that has already landed them an interview with NBC.
The group came together because of what Krumholz describes as "Jewish geography." Gildin, an aspiring comedian, hails from Woodmere, NY and attended Hewlett High School with Milch. Milch knew Krumholz, also an aspiring comedian, from a summer program that they both attended at Michigan University. Krumholz lived on the same floor as Prince during their freshman year at the University of Miami and was the glue that brought the group together.
"Tyler (Gildin) and I are both aspiring comedians and come from similar areas," Krumholz said. "I had mentioned doing an ‘Empire State of Mind' parody a while ago but never really acted on it. One day [Gildin] called me to remind me about the idea, and he had already come up with a good hook. Right away I knew it would be really funny."
Their common knowledge of many different – and often Jewish – circles of friends helped the video take off so quickly. The group also promoted it on Facebook and their own personal websites (krumlife.com, tylergildin.com, streamfromtheconsciousless.com, myspace.com/nashprincemusic) to help get the word out.
Just a few days after the video was uploaded to YouTube, the creators landed an interview with NBC and mentioned that they are all trying to land jobs in the entertainment industry. They also explained that their intention was to create a video that parodied life on Long Island.
"What we make fun of is stuff that's true," Krumholz said during the NBC interview. "Nothing we say here is not what's going on. We [satirize] it and it's not a documentary by any means, but we're saying what's on everybody's minds."
Although some people agree that the material is funny, others – mostly those not from the towns on Long Island that received shout outs in the video – have expressed distaste with the piece. Some feel that it depicts exactly what they don't like about kids from Long Island, while others don't think the video is an accurate portrayal of what life is like in Nassau County.
Either way, by watching the parody and giving the video another hit, people have done exactly what the creators wished for: noticed them.
Have you seen the video? Did you like it? Hate it? Send us an e-mail or stop by the office to let us know.
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